The First Year (CA-1)

Residents begin with a tutorial period during which they work one-on-one with a staff person or a senior resident.  This provides consistency and the opportunity for a "training plan" to be developed during this important introductory phase to clinical anesthesia training.  The duration of the tutorial is variable depending on the speed at which the resident acquires both skill and confidence, but is typically about two months.  Directed reading assignments are discussed each day with the staff member and progress is guided and monitored over time.  For the first two months, there are daily lectures on core topics of interest to the beginning trainee.

The resident will take junior call during the latter portion of their tutorial, gaining exposure to the on-call routine.  They will then assume full first-call responsibilities beginning approximately September 1.  First-call residents are first in line for emergency cases of appropriate complexity and for airway/pain management calls from the wards with back-up provided by a senior or second-call resident and a faculty member.

For the remainder of the first year, the resident will continue to gain proficiency in the conduct of straightforward general and regional anesthetics on patients scheduled for orthopedic, gynecologic, urologic, ENT and other types of surgeries.  They will also become adept at the preoperative assessment of patients and the management of acute pain and postoperative recovery.  Later in the year, the resident is introduced to more complex anesthetic cases in preparation for the subspecialty rotations of the second year of training.